FORT JACKSON, SC -- Beginning July 29, Fort Jackson's Basic Combat Training graduations will move to a new day. Graduations will now be scheduled for 9 a.m., Thursdays instead of Fridays. Family Day activities will be on the preceding Wednesday.

"The primary reason ... in graduation and Family Day schedules is to support more time for the cadre members and their families," said Jennifer Phifer, deputy G5 with the U.S. Army Basic Combat Training Center of Excellence. "We are experiencing a particularly difficult time in the Army right now where the average cadre members come to Fort Jackson between multiple, long deployments to either Iraq, Afghanistan - or both - just to find that they do not get much time to take care of themselves and the needs of their families between BCT cycles.

"It is small changes like this that can make a big difference in the lives of cadre members and their families."

Family Day activities will begin no earlier than 2 p.m. and Soldiers must be back in their barracks by 10 p.m., said Stephen Pinette, deputy G3.

In addition to allowing cadre and family members more time together, the change also offers the post some savings by reducing the costs of dining facility operations, overtime and transportation associated with employees who work on Saturday to help transport Soldiers to Advanced Individual Training locations.